Dining etiquette for utensils. The knife remains in the right hand, and the fork remains in the left. When the meal is finished, the knife and fork are laid parallel to each other horizontally across the top half of the plate, with the tines of the fork pointing to the left. Dining etiquette for the place setting. Always start from the outside and work your way in, course by course. There will be separate glasses provided at your setting for water and white and red wine.